VEN37-29.indd 1
12/13/17
3:27 PM
God Gives Us Earth
PFLAUM GOSPEL WEEKLIES Faith Formation Program
April 22, 2018
4th Sunday of Easter
How do you care for our home?
TG4-22
Share Experiences
Objectives l The children will:
l Explore how they can care for the Earth as it cares for them.
l Appreciate how a garden welcomes immigrants with food and community.
Gather in a prayer circle. Play and sing “Come Back” (CD-1, #13). Lyrics may be found at gospelweeklies.com/lyrics.
Gathering Prayer Ask the children for whom and what they wish to pray for today. After each petition, the group responds, “Loving God, hear our prayer.”
Cover Activity l God Gives Us Earth (page 1) Direct the children to examine the cover photographs. After a moment, call on a volunteer to read aloud the cover text and question. Ask the children how they and their families celebrated Earth Day. Record responses on the board or newsprint. Remind students that Earth Day can be every day.
You may wish to have the children read the KidTalk feature
on page 8 before you begin to brainstorm ideas for caring for Creation. Discuss how they, as a class, can do something for the earth around the school or church. Some ideas you may want to pose: plant a tree; dig and maintain a owerbed or garden; pick up all the trash in the surrounding areas. Record the children’s ideas. Give them time to record their own idea on the cover, lower right.
Article l Building a Community Garden
(pages 2–3) Before you read the story together, ask the children if they have ever worked in a garden. What did they most enjoy? What is satisfying about growing one’s own food? Take turns reading the story.
Turn to the Think questions on page 3. Answers: 1. They feel welcomed. It’s a safe place they can gather to grow food they enjoy. 2. Open-ended; you could invite them for
a meal, o er to show them around your neighborhood and school, or introduce them to your friends. 3. Everyone is welcome; everyone is fed. 4. It gives their children a safe space to play; it gives them community in their new country. It also gives them good, healthy food!
Discover Gospel and Doctrine
Objectives l The children will:
l Interpret and apply the Good Shepherd metaphor.
l Practice a simple form of meditation.
Gospel Ritual Move to the area you have set up for the Gospel reading. You may choose to set up your prayer space ahead of class or have volunteers set the bible, cloth, candle,
and whatever items you include as part of your ritual. As you prepare the children to proclaim this Sunday’s Gospel, play “Easter Alleluia” (CD-2, #1).
Sunday Gospel l Jesus Is the Good Shepherd (page 4) Have the children consider who they care for— perhaps a younger sibling or neighbor or a family pet. Ask:
How does it feel to know that someone counts on you? Ask for volunteers to read the Gospel, and have these children proclaim the four Jesus parts.
Turn to the Think questions on page 3. Answers: 1. Good shepherds protect their sheep; hired shepherds run away and let the wolf kill the sheep. 2. Jesus knows his
followers by name, and we know him; Jesus gives his life for his people. A shepherd knows, protects, guides, and takes care of sheep. Jesus says the Father knows, loves, and takes care of him.
Connecting Gospel and Doctrine l Jesus Calls Us His Friends (page 4) Read aloud the doctrine related to this Sunday’s Gospel, and give the children time to think about their responses to the Think questions.
Turn to the Think questions on page 4. These questions are meant to inspire good thinking. Possible responses include: 1. Encourage the children to think of people
they have met and may even have a relationship with—coaches, teachers, older teammates, priests or deacons, religious sisters. 2. Open-ended; remind the children about the many Gospel stories they have read about Jesus’ healing, including Peter’s mother-in- law and the man with the unclean spirit.
Catholic Faith Word l Good Shepherd (page 4) Have the children read the de nition aloud as you continue your discussion of this metaphor.
Distribute the children’s What the Church Believes and Teaches handbooks.
Teaching This Week’s Lesson